To a Different Drum
by DanceAcrossPaper
Summary: A military brat, through and through, the 'American Rebel' is used to rolling with the punches. Some hits just land harder than others. Twins/OC slow-build. Rated M for future Mature content, language and references to recreational drug use/underage drinking.
1. Chapter 1

**To a Different Drum**

**Summary:**

A military brat, through and through, the 'American Rebel' is used to rolling with the punches. Some hits just land harder than others.

**Author's Note:**

Aurora, or Rory, is an original female character. Unlike Haruhi, who is a female-pretending-to-be-a-male, Rory has been forced to be the 'son-her-father-never-had'. Rory suffers from gender-confusion and identity-issues. In order to make it easy to follow the switch of genders, Rory will have the pronoun 'he' and Aurora will be 'she'. I want to explore the mind-set of someone going through these problems. This story will most-likely end up a Hikaru/Rory/Kaoru trio-romance (not a love triangle). Chapter Titles will be named after song titles, and expect gratuitous use of movie/show/game references (she _is_ American, after all.).

**Reader's Keys:**

**'Hello' =** **English**  
_'Hello" = French  
_'Hello' = Japanese

* * *

**Chapter One**  
_Schism_  
_I know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them fall away._

* * *

_She was born Aurora Soleil. A small, cute child, born as a perfect mirror image of her mother; black hair and light-green eyes. Her father was a soldier in the United States military when she was born, and as she grew, so did his career. Her mornings were spent in school, afternoons with her mother and every weekend she was able to have a video call with her father._

_It all changed during an accident. She had survived the impact, but her mother wasn't as lucky. At the age of seven, Aurora Soleil lost her mother and her once-doting father grew distant._

_The reminder of his dead wife was difficult to look upon._

_Leaving her birthplace of New Orleans, Aurora Soleil began to fade from the world, and Rory took her place. Rory, who went through every 'new student' phase. Rory, who flirted with anything attractive, but never formed attachments. Rory, who pushed boundaries without a care and tried to escape the monotony life provided._

_Before she knew it, Aurora was forgotten._

* * *

Nimble fingers comb carelessly through purple-streaked, windswept black bangs with a flick of a wrist as Rory Soleil moved through the halls of _The Ouran Academy_. Having started the new semester of his Freshmen Year, he already found himself in the role he's always assumed. He didn't care much for the uniform, but was thankful the only thing mandatory about the dress code was the _Ouran_ crest. So, naturally he wore a pair of heavy Doc Martin boots and electric-blue skinny jeans. A black blazer jacket was pulled over a light-grey t-shirt _'That's what.' -She_ etched across the front in electric blue sketchy letters. Over the left breast pocket of her jacket sat the school crest. Unlike many of the pale-skinned Japanese-descended students, Rory's Creole blood flows hot through his veins; his complexion an exotic natural tan color.

"G-good morning, Soleil-san."

Blinking, Rory didn't realize he had managed to make it to 1-A, already seated at his desk. Shaking his head, he looks over at the mop of brown hair and disturbingly-large glasses seated next to him. A week into the new semester and Rory managed to ignore most of the giggling girls around him. This one, Fujioka Haruhi, was a studious, intelligent one. Rory liked the girl's blunt, straight-forward way of talking; though the naivity needed work.

"Didn't I say something about calling me by my first name?" Rory replies, the silver barbell bar pierced through his left eyebrow catching the light as his eyebrow lifts, "I'm American, _Cherie_. I'm not used to these...honor-fics and respectability."

Haruhi lets out a small huff of laughter, "I'm still getting used to the idea of there being someone normal at this place."

"**Normal?**" Rory can't help but slip back into American-English, shaking his head at the confused head-tilt she gives him, "Normal? Do I _look_ normal?"

"No, but you don't act like..." she gestures to the glassy-eyed, squealing girls and privileged boys whispering among themselves, "anyone else."

"Tch," he clicks his tongue against the back of his teeth dismissively, "Normality is for rejects. I would _never_ lower myself to conform with the masses."

Rory _likes_ Haruhi. Haruhi is honest. Haruhi is down-to-Earth and pure in a manner Rory hadn't seen in a long time. To be honest, of all the places _Sir_ could send him, he chose a place like _Ouran_? Rory's pretty sure this is some form of punishment. Maybe he shouldn't have been caught making out with that girl in the spare classroom? Or was it for getting high on New Year's to watch the firework display in Dubai? Rory snorts, shaking his head. No. This place was a punishment for breaking into school in the middle of the night and into the Dean's office and remove all of the screws from his metal desk during Prank Week.

A couple of picked locks and _Sir_ decides to send him to _this_ Hell?

"So, are we still meeting after classes to go over my English studies?"

Yeah. Haruhi was fucking smart as hell, but the girl had difficulty reading English. Not just _any_ English, but American-English. Completely hopeless.

It was kinda cute.

Snorting, Rory nods his head, "Sure. My Music Composition class might run a bit late."

"Oh? I'll wait for you in the library."

Sighing as the teacher enters the room, Rory spares the girl a short, affirmative glance before turning his attention to the front of the room.

* * *

"-that follows is the preposition phrase. It helps give a better sense of direction. Preposition words, give direction corresponding to the noun that follows. So, if I was to say; **'We are going to take a walk.'**, that's all the person reading, or hearing, would get from it. Adding the preposition phrase gives more depth. For instance, **'We are going to take a walk through the woods.', **gives the person a better understand of where they are walking. **'Through'** is the preposition, **'the woods' **being the corresponding noun." Rory looks up from his small, neat handwriting to see Haruhi's gaze fixed firmly on the words. Rory points to the selection of sentences written on her homework, "So, go ahead and try it."

"So, in the sentence, **'I took a swim in pool.' 'In' **is the preposition and **'pool'** is the following noun?"

Rory's face breaks into a wide, beautiful smile as he nods his head, "Hai. I think you're getting it. Your pronunciation and grammar needs a bit work, but being able to understand what you read comes before speaking it."

Haruhi ducks her head, flustered as she teases her glasses. Really, Rory muses, the girl has _got_ to get rid of those hideous things. Catching sight of the time, Rory lets out a groan, "Damn. I have to get home before Logan starts to worry. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

The brunette nods, "Hai. I need to do some more studying."

Giving the petite girl a lazy, two-fingered salute, Rory slips out of the large library. Moving through the large school building, his messenger bag hooked over one shoulder as his hands slip into the back pockets of his pants, Rory passes a trio of giggling girls, managing a wink in the direction of the blushing red-head. Ignoring the squeals, Rory passes the bottom of the staircase when a shoulder slams into his own. Glaring at the back of the brown-haired guy, Rory moves to continue on his way when a shriek sounds. Unable to help himself, he barely gets a glance of a red blur before his arms move out. Bracing himself, he catches the red-haired girl, her books clattering to the floor at his feet.

"Are you alright, _Cherie?_" he asks. Seeing the girl struggle to shake her head, Rory's eyes harden as he turns to look at the brown-haired guy just now making it to the top of the staircase. "Hey! Asshole!" Pushing the frightened red-head to her friends, Rory watches as the guy pauses at the top of the staircase, "Watch where the fuck you're going."

"What did you say to me?" the guy turns, brown eyes narrowed in Rory's direction.

"I don't make a habit of stuttering, _putain_!" Rory retorts, his tone just as sharp as his glare, "And in case you don't understand French, I'm referring to you as a bitch."

"Excuse me?"

Rory flicks a hand in the guy's direction, "There's no excusing any of _that_," Rory gestures to the kid's person, "Maybe next time you want to watch yourself before someone rearranges that pretty face of yours."

"Are you threatening me, punk?"

"Threats are for weak-minded people incapable of a follow-through. I don't waste my time making threats. If I catch you carelessly knocking over another girl, you can be sure I'll fix that attitude of yours." Rory hisses, glaring at the kid. Waving a hand in his direction, "Now fuck off. Obviously, you're in a rush."

The brown-haired kid makes a dismissive noise, "You aren't worth my time, freak."

"I'm glad we can agree on something."

Watching as the kid stomps off, Rory turns back to the two girls trying to calm down the red-head. Seeing her difficulty catching her breath, Rory gently pushes the girls aside. Taking the red-head's hand, he places it to the center of his chest, his other hand cupping her face. Forcing her wide blue eyes on his own, he gives her a gentle look.

"You need to breathe, _Cherie_," he says, his tone as gentle and soft as his movements. Taking a deep breath in, "Breathe with me, Sugar." He continues to mutter encouragements as the red-head takes a stuttering, broken gasp of air. "That's it, Bright-Eyes. Give me another."

It takes a full minute to get the girl breathing right again. Moving to his feet, he helps the girl up and with gentle hands, he smooths out the wrinkles in the ugly-yellow dress. Looking up at her wide eyes and blushing face, he grants her a genuine smile before tucking red tresses behind her ear, "There you are. Are you going to be alright?"

The girl nods with jerky movements, "H-hai. Th-thank you...um..."

Bowing shortly, he introduces himself, "Soleil Rory. You can just call me Rory."

"Thank you, R-Rory-san."

Catching sight of the large clock-face outside the window, Rory groans, "Damn. I'm running late. I'm glad you're alright, Bright-Eyes." Nodding to the other two girls, he gives another two fingered salute, "Ladies. I'm afraid I must bid you _adieu_."

Leaving the trio, he never notices light lavender eyes watching with amazement. The tall blonde watching from around the corner smiles softly at the sight of a rough-around-the-edges student being so courteous. Noticing the time, he turns and makes his way to the Third Music Room, wondering what 'Mama' would think about this information.

* * *

"You did what?"

Rory couldn't help but laugh at Haruhi's downtrodden expression. As they walked onto the school grounds, Rory's hands once again shoved into the back pockets of his blood-red skinny jeans, the deep black-purple blazer jacket pulled over a white t-shirt, _'I see a'_ written over a picture of a small blacked-out shadow, _'Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?'_ written underneath the shadowed figure.

"It wasn't my fault! They wouldn't stop harrassing me!" Haruhi states fiercely, "I mean, this is hopeless! Why would I want to be around a bunch of pretty-boys while they flirt needlessly with a bunch of brainless airheads?"

Rory lets out a bark of laughter as he holds the door open for the brunette, fluttering his eyelashes in her direction before pouting, "Aw. Are you saying I'm not pretty enough for you, Haru-chan?"

Haruhi's eyebrows shoot up from behind those damn glasses and Rory grins as she stutters in an attempt to deny his words. Seeing his grin, her fist connects with his shoulder, causing the raven-haired teen to stumble dramatically, "Shut up, Rory. You know you look good. You just don't act like those idiots."

"Well, I _can_ flirt shamelessly. Actually, I can be a bit of a slut about it," Haruhi's cheeks flush at his crass language, even as the boy shrugs a shoulder shamelessly, "I don't really care about gender. I will literally flirt with anything I find gorgeous."

"Seriously? Wait? Are you gay?"

Rory raises an eyebrow, "Would that be an issue?" Seeing her shake her head, he sighs as he moves through the halls, "I'm...demisexual. I'm attracted to people based off of personality traits, and it's not gender exclusive. Believe me, I got an earful when I was caught making out with a girl in one of the spare classrooms. Then when I was caught with a guy's hand down my pants," Haruhi's cheeks flush hotly at his words, "I was pulled out of that school when I was caught with my hand down a guy's pants and making out with a girl...at the same time."

"...So, you're not a virgin?"

Rory flashes her flushed face a cheeky grin, "If you mean do I still have a 'cherry' so-to-speak?" He nods, "Yeah. I've experimented enough that some people think I'm a whore, but it was more research-based than romantic. The two I fooled around with knew I was...confused at the time and I wanted to be...safe about it."

Haruhi's blush fades with shock when seeing the exposed expression on his face, "Oh. So, when you realized you found both girls and guys attractive, you had two friends of either gender help ease your mind?"

Rory gives her a rare, sheepish smile, "Yeah. It was a very confusing time for me. I liked _both_ of them, but when I looked at other girls or guys, I didn't get the same feeling. So...I did some research and some...counseling."

"And your parents were okay with it?"

Rory snorts, "Sir is _never_ pleased with anything I do, so I stopped trying to appease to him."

"And your mom?"

Pausing mid-step, Rory's hand rubs at the back of his neck, gaze trained on the patterned tiles at his feet, "She would have accepted me, no matter what."

Haruhi recognizes the expression and instantly feels bad, "Oh. I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories."

Rory shakes his head, giving her a small half-smile, "Nah. Memories of _Maman_ are never bad. She was the most beautiful woman, inside and out."

Haruhi smiles as she listens to the boy speak of his mother. The soft, loving expression on his face makes her heart flutter as she thinks back to her own mother. Nodding, Haruhi nudges him gently, "I get what you mean."

Meeting her gaze, Rory flashes her a wider grin, "I guess you do. So, should I expect to wait for you after you finish dealing with this...Host Club?"

"I guess. It's held in the Third Music Room."

Rory snorts, "Who the fuck needs a _third_ music room?"

"Rich people," Haruhi clicks dismissively.

Snickering, Rory nudges his friend through the door to 1-A. Taking his seat, he drops his messenger bag on the floor at his feet as Haruhi moves to her seat on the other side of the room.

* * *

Rory can't find Haruhi at lunch time, so he takes a seat at an empty table. With his boot-clad feet set on the top of the table, legs crossed at his ankles, he leans back in his chair. With his earbuds blaring music in his ears, he takes a bite out of the sour, Granny Smith apple as he stares up at the ceiling. _Ouran_ is definitely hell. His foot begins tapping to the consistent drum beat as _'The Sharpest Lives'_ by My Chemical Romance takes place of the previous song. It isn't that he _hates_ the school, but having a mandatory dress code sucks. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing such...fru-fru colors. Ugh...periwinkle-blue is not something that would work for his skin tone.

Hesitant fingers tap against his shoulders causing him to shriek, his body jumping in the chair. Unfortunately, with his chair leaning back on two legs instead of four, the jolt of movement causes his chair to topple backwards. Groaning as the back of his head connects with the floor, "_Fils de pute!"_ Blinking away the blurriness from his eyes, he looks up to find bright-blue eyes framed by deep fire-red curls.

Realization flashes in his eyes before he reaches up and tugs an earbud out of one ear, "Oh...Hey Bright-Eyes. You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Oh my God. Are you okay?" she asks.

Looking at the hand she offers, he flashes her a smile before allowing her to help him up. Brushing himself off, he picks up the chair and instead of taking a seat, he gestures for her to sit. Ignoring her sheepish blush, he moves to the other chair, her two friends from the previous day also taking seats.

"As lovely as it is to see you ladies, what brings you to my Table of Solitude?" he teases, resting his chin on the heel of his hand, fingers curled up.

"I-I just wanted to thank you again for yesterday," the red-head stutters out, flustered as bright-green eyes stare blatantly at her.

"Aw...you don't have to thank me, Sugar. Panic attacks are never easy. So, I'm afraid I left in such a rush that I never got your name. Or the name of your equally beautiful friends here," Rory states, winking at the two blondes.

"Oh. My name is Sumino Sora," the red-head replies, before motioning to the tallest of the two blondes, "This is Haruna Mizuki, and Akino Rei," she motions to the shortest blonde.

"It's a pleasure to officially meet you lovely ladies."

"So, you're from America, ne?" Mizuki asks, causing him to nod, "What made you move all the way to Japan?"

Rory blinks before chuckling, "Oh. Well, I was born and raised American, but my father is a Commander in the United States Navy. We tend to move a lot."

"That must be interesting? Where did you enjoy living most?"

"**New 'Awlins**," Seeing the blank, lost expressions, Rory shrugs a shoulder, "It's a major city located along the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. It was...home. Born, lived, raised. I miss the multi-cultural aspects. My second favorite place was England. The London Fashion Trends are ace."

"Ace?"

Blinking, Rory chuckles, rubbing the back of his head, "Ace? It means awesome, or incredible. They have an entirely different dialect of English that some terms stick."

"But you spoke French yesterday," Rei points out.

Nodding, Rory takes a sip from his water bottle, "Well, of course I did. It comes second nature to a Cajun such as myself." Seeing the curious looks, he shrugs a shoulder, "Cajun is a term used to describe the French-descendants in **New 'Awlins**. The Creole blood is strong in this one, it is."

Sora giggles behind her fingers as she chews her mouthful of sushi, the petite girl swallowing before she says, "Star Wars, right?"

"As I live and breathe," Rory flashes a grin at the trio of girls, "I really am a geek in disguise. Just don't tell anyone," he winks, tapping his lips with his index finger, "I like to keep it secret."

Hearing his teasing tone, the girls giggle at his playful nature, Mizuki taking the moment to say, "You are nicer than you look."

"I simply can't help it when around such beautiful ladies," Rory replies with ease, smirking as their cheeks flush.

Distracted by the three girls, he doesn't notice a be-speckled teen watching from across the refractory. At his side, a tall blonde turns his light lavender gaze on him.

"See what I mean? He's so...casual about it. That," the blonde points in the direction of the American, "is a practiced class act."

"Hm...for once, you might be onto something," the dark-haired boy states as his fingers push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

/o/

"**I can't sit back and wonder why.**

**It took so long for this to die.**

**And I hate it when you fake it.**

**You can't hide it you might as well embrace it.**

**So believe me it's not easy.**

**It seems that something's telling me..."**

As 'In Too Deep' blares in his ears, Rory takes the winding staircase two at a time. Grinning to himself, he dodges around a couple of girls, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he sings in time with the music. Locating the door marked _Third Music Room_, he twists the knob and pushes his way in with a flourished twirl, simultaneously slamming the door shut as he comes to a stand still.

"Haruhi?"

A tall, dark-haired teen currently held a petite brunette in the air by her waist. Rory's eyes widen at the sleek brown hair and wide brown eyes peering over at him. The periwinkle-blue uniform jacket seemed to work with the brunette's pale skin. Rory didn't even notice all eyes trained on him as the girl was placed on her feet, his gaze taking in the nervous way she adjusts the tie around her collar.

"R-Rory. Is it time already?"

Rory is incapable of stopping his cheeks from grabbing the brunette's face, forcing her eyes on his, "It's about damn time you got rid of those hideous glasses."

"Hey!"

"And you brushed your hair!"

"Like you have room to talk!"

"Something as simple as a brush cannot tame these luscious locks," Rory retorts, combing fingers through his windswept bangs with a flick of the wrist. Rory grins at the brunette, "Aww...Haru-chan, you look gorgeous, _Cher._"

The sound of a throat clearing causes Rory and Haruhi to look over. Seeing the six-pairs of eyes staring at them, Rory feels his hands drop from her face, "What?" When the staring doesn't stop, Rory glances back at Haruhi, "Okay. It's either because your face is stunning, or they've never seen someone as sexy as me."

Rory's words cause Haruhi to burst into laughter. Sometimes Rory says things so bluntly and nonchalantly that Haruhi finds herself taken by surprise, "I think it has more to do with you waltzing into the room than it does our faces."

"Tch," Rory waves a hand dismissively in her direction, "That wasn't a waltz, _Cher_. That was what we, in America, call a _strut_."

"Hey, you're the Military-brat, right?" two voices remark simultaneously.

Rory blinks, tilting his head to the side as he looks at the red-haired twins. Hm...wow, he never really thought about Haruhi's description of the Host Club. They were indeed six gorgeous boys.

"How'd you know that?" Rory asks.

"We're in your classes," the red-head on the left states.

"When you introduced yourself, someone asked why you moved," the one on the right continues.

"You simply pointed at yourself and said 'Military-brat'." the one on the left said.

"Your tone made the kid that asked sound like an idiot," the one on the right adds.

"It was pretty amusing," the echo.

Blinking, Rory feels a small sense of dizziness as his eyes ping back and forth between the two, "Hm...you'd think I would have noticed a pair of gorgeous twins."

The one on the left flushes slightly while the one on the right grins, "Oh? You think we're gorgeous."

"Quite frankly, I think all of you are," Rory deadpans, "But you all already know that."

"Who do you think is the most attractive?" the one on the right questions.

Rory looks over the six males. All of them _were_ gorgeous. The tall dark-haired boy that was holding Haruhi when Rory entered was handsome. Like...carved by the Gods kind of handsome. Stoic features were negated by soft gunmetal-grey eyes. On his shoulders sat the diminutive figure of a blonde-haired, honey-eyed boy holding a stuffed bunny. Very adorable. Both of the twins were red-haired and golden-eyed, mischief visible in their expressions. They were long and lean muscled and the only difference between them physically was the way they parted their hair. With a notebook in his hand, a dark-haired teen with glasses stands, studiously writing. Hm...definitely gorgeous, pale-skinned matched with dark accents of hair and eyes would drive any girl crazy. At his side stands a fair-haired blonde, tall and lean, with soft lavender eyes.

"Him," Rory points to the blonde, causing everyone's eyes to widen, "Quite frankly, it's because of those gorgeous eyes of yours," Surprisingly, the blonde cheeks tinge pink at his words, "Hey, take it as a compliment, dude. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful color. Are they real?"

"Of course they're real!" the blonde shouts, offended.

Rory grins, "Yeah, well, you guys asked. To be honest, I'm not usually a fan of blondes, so if it wasn't for those eyes of yours, I'd have to say twins, who also have gorgeous eyes."

Haruhi rolls her eyes, nudging her friend, "Is this what we were talking about this morning?"

Rory lets out a small laugh, "No way. This is low-key, simplistic compliments. If I was flirting with them, I'd say something along the lines of asking if they twins really do _everything_ together, or if they'd be willing to."

Haruhi notices the pink hue staining both of the twins' faces, "You can't be serious. I thought you were _joking_ about that spare classroom."

"Ha! If I was joking I would have never been sent to that boarding school in Russia," Rory replies, tapping a finger to his chin thoughtfully, "Although, that really didn't help since I learned how flexible those ballerinas really are."

"Rory!" Haruhi remarks with flushed cheeks. "You shouldn't talk about girls like that."

Rory nods his head, "Yeah. You're right." Haruhi lets out a sigh, "Although, I never said they were _female_ ballerinas."

Haruhi claps her hands over her ears, "I'm not listening to this!"

Seeing the expression on his friend's face, Rory chuckles, "Alright, I'll stop teasing. Are you ready to go, because that English paper isn't going to write itself."

"Yeah, let's go."

Rory gives his signature two fingered salute to the Hosts, granting them a wide, flirtatious grin, "It was a _pleasure_ meeting you all." Hooking his arm with Haruhi's he leads the brunette out of the room, "_Tout simplement magnifique_."

As the door shuts all eyes turn on the Host Club's Prince, who punches a fist into the palm of his hand, "I think we found ourselves another Host."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, so this is the start of a new story. Let me know what you think. Rory will literally flirt with anything that walks and has a personality that is a mix between the Twins and Tamaki. He can be over-the-top and obnoxious, but he likes making people laugh and feel more comfortable, so he'll make a fool out of himself in order to do so. Also, 'Bright-Eyes' is a reference to a character my friend 'Kay' has come up with in passing and I felt like sticking her in the story, so I have an additional OC that will grow more important as the story progresses.**

**As a point of the uniform, it has been stated in the series that some people (Haruhi) can't afford the uniform, so they wear their own clothing, but will have the Ouran Academy's crest somewhere on it.**

**I love to see if any of my readers catch any random references. Rory has already displayed three different ones; one which is Star Wars.**

**Leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**To a Different Drum**

**Summary:**

A military brat, through and through, the 'American Rebel' is used to rolling with the punches. Some hits just land harder than others.

**Author's Note:**

Aurora, or Rory, is an original female character. Unlike Haruhi, who is a female-pretending-to-be-a-male, Rory has been forced to be the 'son-her-father-never-had'. Rory suffers from gender-confusion and identity-issues. In order to make it easy to follow the switch of genders, Rory will have the pronoun 'he' and Aurora will be 'she'. I want to explore the mind-set of someone going through these problems. This story will most-likely end up a Hikaru/Rory/Kaoru trio-romance (not a love triangle). Chapter Titles will be named after song titles, and expect gratuitous use of movie/show/game references (she _is_ American, after all.).

**Reader's Keys:**

**'Hello' =** **English**  
_'Hello" = French  
_'Hello' = Japanese

* * *

**Chapter Two**  
_Mr. Brightside_  
_'Coming out of my cage_  
_And I've been doing just fine'_

* * *

"Soleil-san!"

Suoh Tamaki flashes a couple of giggling girls a broad grin as he rushes to catch up with the ebony-haired teen further down the hall. The blonde manages to catch up and drops a hand on the shorter kid's shoulder. Tamaki never expects a foot to hook around the back of his leg and yank his feet out from underneath him. The sharp green eyes that meet his own brighten with surprise before the teen yanks the earbud headphone from his ears. Rubbing the back of his head, Rory Soleil chuckles before offering Tamaki a hand up.

"_Désolé._" Tamaki blinks in surprise before the boy's gaze flicker with understanding before he coughs, "Oh. I mean, 'sorry'. I have a habit of getting lost in my own head. Can I help you, Handsome?"

Tamaki brushes off his clothes and fixes his tie, "Oh, yes. I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of joining the Host Club."

His gaze becomes blank, his features losing all friendliness, "Why the hell would I waste my time like that?"

"What?" Tamaki chokes out, "I've seen you around girls. You have a way of making them comfortable, and you seem to compliment a girl no matter what her appearance is."

"That's because I have yet to see a girl that attends here that _isn't_ beautiful," Rory remarks sternly, "Just because I like to flirt and tease doesn't mean I'm interested in joining your club. In all honesty, I have no intention of pandering to a bunch of brainless airheads."

"Surely you can at least give it a try," Tamaki suggests.

Rory snorts, waving at him dismissively, "Thanks, but I would get bored talking about gossip all day. It was nice seeing you again, Handsome, but I have a class to get to."

Tamaki watches as the shorter teen saunters off. Even when the boy denied interest, Tamaki notices the girls he passes, who receive a saucy wink. He might be rough around the edges, but this boy is a natural. Tamaki hums thoughtfully. After watching him converse with random girls, Tamaki notices the boy really doesn't do a lot of talking. A few dropped compliments leave them blushing and he makes his way off. There has to be something to get him invovled with the Host Club.

Tamaki recognizes potential when he sees it.

* * *

"Hey, Yankee-Doodle."

"I'm Southern, Thing One, Thing Two."

Rory looks up to see the twins sitting on top of the desk in front of his own. Seeing them share a glance, Rory rolls his eyes before turning back to the notebook; his small, extremely neat handwriting marking up the page.

"What are you writing?"

"It's called English," Rory responds, eyeing the twin on his left. "Do you two mind telling me what you want? If not, go bother Haru-chan."

"Someone's grumpy today," the twin on the right responds, flicking Rory's pierced earlobe. "What's with all the piercings?"

"Just another way to piss off the old man," Rory intones absentmindedly, swatting at the hand near his other ear.

"Tono wants you in the Host Club," the one on the left states, Rory taking in the slightly softer tone of voice.

"But we don't think you have what it takes," the one on the right adds, his tone naturally sharper than his brother's.

Rory sighs, closing his notebook, "Look, I just don't have patience listening to girls gossip for an hour. I appreciate your friend's consideration, but I'd probably be _really_ bad at it."

"You're kidding, right?" Both intone together.

"We've seen you with girls," the one on the right states, his gaze slightly narrowed.

"And with guys too," the one on the left adds, his eyes more confused than the others.

Shaking his head, Rory motions to the two of them, "Can I ask who is who? I don't even know your names."

Both twins nod, "I'm Hikaru/Kaoru."

Looking between the two, Rory shakes his head, "That's a lie." Both pair of golden eyes widen, "Not that I can tell you apart, as this is the second time we've spoken, but you have this way of saying the other's name more softly and with more emotion than your own. Meaning that both of you cares more for the other than you do yourself, which is natural I suppose."

Realizing the class is over, Rory stands from his desk, gathering his messenger bag and slipping it over his shoulder, "My sincerest thanks, but I just don't think I'm the right type of person for it."

* * *

"Haruhi, this isn't funny," Rory whines as the cross-dressing brunette laughs at him, "I'm serious. One kept offering me cake! The twins won't stop pestering me. That stupid blonde was begging..and while that's normally not a problem, it just won't stop."

"Honey-senpai offers _everyone_ cake. Why don't you just agree to try it out?"

Rory's gaze darkens before his eyes drop to the floor, "Do you really have to ask?" Sighing, Rory rubs the back of his neck before meeting Haruhi's gaze, "Haru-chan, I've _pulled out of school_ for being shameless. You think Sir is going to let me stick around if I join a Host Club? He'll think I've joined a Harem, or a Cult or something."

Haruhi's smile falters at seeing her friend's somber gaze, "You really think he'd be upset."

"Haru-chan, I _like_ flirting. I like making people laugh and enjoy themselves. If I join that club, Sir will a ship me to a convent."

"Tamaki-senpai wants me to start Hosting," Haruhi admits, causing Rory to flash her a half-grin, "I think this 'new look' caused him to decide of a job change. Although, I don't know about flirting with girls."

"Don't flirt. Flirting is for people who like to flirt. The little one doesn't flirt and he still has a following," Rory comments, "Maybe girls would like going just to talk to someone...without all the passionate grand gestures or compliments."

Haruhi nods, humming thoughtfully, "Maybe you're right. I guess it can't hurt. I mean, it will help clear up my debt faster."

Rory shakes his head, grinning at the naive brunette. Haruhi isn't the type to butter-up someone with comments. Trying to force her to do so would cause an act she can't keep with. No, it's best if Haruhi sticks with natural poise and sophistication. Rory holds up his water bottle, "Here, here!"

Snorting, Haruhi shoves Rory's shoulder, "You're an idiot."

"But I'm _your_ idiot."

Flushing, Haruhi cuffs him on the back of the head, "Must you always do that!?"

"_Absolument._" Rory replies with a cheeky grin.

Pleased that the serious conversation is adverted, Rory sighs inwardly. _Mon Dieu_, the girl is deceptively easy to talk to.

* * *

**"So give me all your poison **

**And give me all your pills **

**And give me all your hopeless hearts **

**And make me ill **

**You're running after something **

**That you'll never kill **

**If this is what you want **

**Then fire at will."**

During his free period, Rory finds himself laying beneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree. The flowers aren't quite ready to bloom yet, but the ebony-haired teen stares aimlessly at the rolling clouds in the sky. Catching a flash of movement from the corner of his eye, he leans up to see an unfamiliar red head toss a familiar-looking bag into the fountain. Something tugs at the back of his mind and he barely gets a chance to ponder over this before the familiar sight of Haruhi dashes into the courtyard. Seeing her begin to fish out her belongings, Rory moves to his feet only to pause when the handsome blonde ends up helping the brunette.

Humming thoughtfully, Rory wonders if the blonde is _really_ this nice. It isn't often that people are naturally kind-hearted. In fact, ninety-percent of the people Rory has met have used that facade before. Thinking over all of the meetings with the annoying blonde, Rory huffs with realization.

_'Maybe Tamaki-senpai is a nice person.'_

Rory snorts at the thought.

_'He seems nice. Trying that Host Club out might not be a bad idea.'_

No way. Rory was barely able to breathe after his last episode.

_'Who cares what Sir thinks. Isn't it about time you tried to be happy.'_

Not that Rory really knows what that word means.

* * *

Haruhi was a girl! Everyone but him knew it! How could they hide this from him?! Such a precious little girl too.

Tamaki moves down the empty halls, his thoughts running rampant. It was impossible to think that Haruhi was a girl. He had just started getting used to having a new, 'Natural' type Host.

"Wow. I would have never pictured it," a soft voice filled with surprise seems to echo his thoughts.

Shaking his head, he looks over to see a petite red-head flanked by two blondes. Rory-san's females! Seeing them standing in the doorway, Tamaki quietly moves to stand behind them. Curious, he peers through the window to see a familiar dark-haired teen sitting in front of a piano, hands shifting through music sheets as a pencil makes small notations on the paper.

"Excuse me, Ladies," Tamaki greets, causing the trio to jump, each blushing at being caught spying, "What's going on?"

"Ooh..well...Rory-san mentioned meeting us after school, but he never showed up. Haruhi mentioned something about his Music Composition class and we figured we'd come see if he was okay. We're," the tallest blonde pauses, glancing back at the dark-haired teen who cracks his knuckles and shakes his shoulders loose, "hesitant on bothering him."

Tamaki glances between the boy and the girls, "Why don't you three go ahead? It seems like you might need to reschedule," He can see a familiar tension in the boy's shoulders, "He doesn't seem in the mood."

The red-head nods in agreement, "He's been off all day. Can you tell him we'll hang out tomorrow?"

Tamaki bows to the three, "It will be my pleasure to pass it one for you."

As the girls walk off, Tamaki silently enters the room as a soft, gentle melody drifts through the air. Getting lost in the music, Tamaki feels his heartbeat pick up as the music grows heavier. A familiar sensation prickles behind his eyes as the heartfelt melody harmonizes with the haunting undertone. Swallowing thickly, Tamaki's eyes close in an attempt to shove aside the face of a beautiful blonde woman.

"Are you okay?"

Opening his eyes, Tamaki isn't sure how long he stood there, but the song has faded into silence and Rory was staring at him with concern. Wow, this boy definitely has a pair of eyes on him. Tamaki is sure others have noticed the impossibly-bright shade of green.

Clearing his throat, Tamaki nods, "I'm fine. You're music is...beautiful."

The boy bows his head sheepishly, "Yeah, I guess so. You're going to keep bothering me about Hosting, aren't you?"

Shameless, Tamaki shrugs his shoulders, "I can't help it when I see potential."

Rory nibbles on his bottom lip thoughtfully, "You're the President, right?" Tamaki nods, "Okay, but if I tell you something, do you promise not to say anything?" The blonde tilts his head, earning a stern gaze, "I'm serious. I mean, you don't tell anyone."

"No one's ever trusted me with a secret before."

"That's not what I asked. I'm asking if you can keep it," Rory responds earnestly.

Having a feeling this is serious, Tamaki takes a seat on the bench, his fingers ghosting over the ivory keys, a light melody dancing through the air, "You don't have to do anything that will make you uncomfortable. You seem like a bright, intelligent gentleman. From what I've seen, you have no problem assisting people in need. There's an...insecurity about you that troubles me."

"I'm a girl."

A smash of keys causes a horrible mash-up of notes as Tamaki's gaze snaps to Rory's, who flinches at the sudden movement, "What?"

"Biologically, I'm female, but..." Rory taps gently at his/her temple, "up here it's...warped."

"W-why would you act like a.."

"Boy?" Rory snorts, shaking her head, "He never wanted a daughter," Rory admits, stroking a finger along a piano key, "_Maman_ was more than happy, but he never wanted a girl. He wanted a son that could follow his example, who could follow his footsteps. It's...I don't remember the last time I've been called a girl. I can't be in relationships with girls because then I'd be gay. I can't be in relationships with boys because it would _look_ gay," Rory combs fingers through bangs, fingers curling around the strands as he pulls at his hair in anger, "I hate this. I don't even know _what_ I am."

Tamaki swallows at the blatant display of emotion. Looking over the round face and full pink lips, long lashes, Tamaki blinks, "You _are_ a girl."

"I don't know what that means," Rory manages to say.

Seeing his companions green eyes tear up, Tamaki lays a tentative hand on his shoulder, "If it helps, you don't have to figure that out yet. It...wasn't fair to you, for him to do this to you. Maybe...maybe I can help you. On one condition."

"Be a Host?" Rory mocks.

"I was going to suggest you play music for our guests," Tamaki offers, earning a quirk of the teen's pierced eyebrow, "You can flirt with anyone and if you need a moment away from entertaining ladies, you can play music."

"R-really?" Rory blinks in surprise at the offer, "Huh...never thought of that. I guess I wouldn't have to lie about job title for the Club then."

Tamaki smiles broadly, "You'll do it then." At the nod of agreement, Tamaki glomps the teen in a tight hug, "Aww...this is going to be so much fun."

"Dude! My ribs!"

* * *

"Hey, Rory?"

"Yes, Tamaki?"

"What's your real name?"

Green eyes meet violet and pink lips twitch in a soft smile.

"Aurora. My name is Aurora."

* * *

Staring at his reflection, Rory takes in the elegant white tail-coat he had been forced to wear. The pure white outfit causes him to wince. Tamaki might have become a friend and confidante, but if that blonde idiot thinks Rory is going to go out in this, he's dumber than Rory gave him credit. Shedding the clothing, Rory refuses to look at the feminine curves reflected back at him. Slipping on the black skinny jeans, Rory replaces the white button-down shirt with a dark-green short-sleeved button-down shirt. Taking the black waistcoat, Rory pulls it on over the shirt. Slipping the white piano gloves onto his hands and dropping the green-sashed white top hat back onto his head, he looks over his reflection and grins.

If they want the 'Rebel' type, the Rebel they'll get.

Stepping out of the changing room, Rory's grin widens at the shouts of denial from Tamaki.

Maybe this won't be as bad as he thought.

Twenty minutes later, Rory sits at the piano, gloved fingers dancing over the keys as he keeps the light-hearted melody dancing through the air. A few girls lean against the piano, staring at him with wide, shimmering eyes as he moves flawlessly along the music. At the sense of boredom, Rory moves his fingers before starting a familiar melody.

"**I'm bringing sexy back**

**Them other boys don't know how to act**

**I think you're special, what's behind your back?**

**So turn around and I'll pick up the slack.**"

Rory knows the song is popular enough that it is known across the world. Seeing the flushed faces and astounded looks, Rory inwardly laughs as he continues into the bridge.

**"Dirty babe**

**You see these shackles**

**Baby I'm your slave**

**I'll let you whip me if I misbehave**

**It's just that no one makes me feel this way."**

Winking in the direction of the surrounding girls, he grins upon seeing the squealing, red-faced girl at the message of the song. Losing himself to the music, Rory wonders if this is the beginning of something good.

* * *

"What was that?!"

Rory giggles at the flushed, flustered expression on Tamaki's face. Really. The songs just got more and more perverse when Rory noticed the annoyed twitch in Kyoya's brow and the downtrodden look on Tamaki's face.

"That, my dear Prince, was a little taste of your American Rebel," Rory chuckles, his eyes gleaming as he leans closer to the blonde, peering up at violet eyes, he winks, "Would you prefer a bit more than that small dose?"

Rory knows Tamaki is the only one to know about his gender, seeing the flushed cheeks, Rory wonders just how much fun he will have with this. Pouting, Rory flutters his eyelashes, "Aww...Tama-chan. Do you not love me anymore?"

Tamaki seems to ignore Rory's apparent gender and embraces him firmly, "Aww...you're so adorable!"

"Dude! Lego of my Eggo!"

"No, I'm definitely keeping you!"

"Oi, move it before you lose it."

_"Une telle mignon celui que vous êtes."_ the blonde coos.

_"Il ne sera pas mignon quand je vous coup de poing dans le visage!"_

_"Aww ... il n'y a pas besoin de violence."_

_"Tamaki! Lâcher! Lâcher!"_

Unable to stop, Rory lets out a laugh as Tamaki rubs his cheek against the top of his head. The show of familiar affection causes the dark-haired teen to flush and breaking the other teen's hold, Rory palms his face and shoves him off, "Dude. If you wanted a go at me, you need to pay the processing and handling fee."

"How much is that?" two mischievous voices echo.

Rory's face falls blank before he deadpans, "Your soul."

Haruhi snorts as the twins' eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Glancing over at his friend, Rory drops an arm around Haruhi's shoulders, "I'm afraid Haru-chan is the only one with a soul."

"What about me, Rory-chan?"

Looking down at Haninozuka Mitsukuni, Rory lets go of Haruhi before kneeling down to Honey-senpai's level. Meeting the honey-brown eyes, Rory quirks an eyebrow and smirks, leaning in close, "You...you are a devil in disguise," As his eyes widen, Rory giggles and gives him a wink, "I like it."

"Great! Let's eat some cake!"

Rory pushes to his feet, checking his watch before sighing, "Sorry. I have to go. Rain check on the cake, Honey."

"You're leaving already?"

Rory nods at the three voices, facing Tamaki and the twins, "Hai. If I don't get home soon, Logan is going to be pissy. I'll see you guys Monday."

* * *

Hearing the house phone go off, Rory dances away from the stove, simultaneously turning down the radio as he picks up the phone, "Soleil residence."

"Rory."

The teens demeanor shifts immediately, "Good evening, Sir."

"How has your second week gone?"

Rory rolls his eyes, "It's gone fine. I've made friends. My Music Composition teacher is impressed with my work and I've been offered a position at a club to play music."

"And your other studies?"

He never did care for Rory's musical interests, "Perfect marks, Sir."

"Good. I should be by next Sunday."

"Can't wait," Rory bites out between clenched teeth.

The man hangs up the phone without another word. Throwing the phone across the room, Rory whirls back toward the stove and turns the dial for the volume to the radio drastically. The loud, unadulterated music forced Rory not to think.

Because thinking brings up bad memories.

* * *

_"But I like dancing, Daddy."_

_"Dancing is for little girls and sissy boys. And I told you not to call me that."_

_Sniffling, the eight-year-old girl drops her gaze, "Yes, Sir."_

_"What did I tell you about dropping your gaze?"_

_"It shows weakness. One must always face their adversary." _

* * *

Rory hates him.


	3. Chapter 3

**To a Different Drum**

**Summary:**

A military brat, through and through, the 'American Rebel' is used to rolling with the punches. Some hits just land harder than others.

**Author's Note:**

Aurora, or Rory, is an original female character. Unlike Haruhi, who is a female-pretending-to-be-a-male, Rory has been forced to be the 'son-her-father-never-had'. Rory suffers from gender-confusion and identity-issues. In order to make it easy to follow the switch of genders, Rory will have the pronoun 'he' and Aurora will be 'she'. I want to explore the mind-set of someone going through these problems. This story will most-likely end up a Hikaru/Rory/Kaoru trio-romance (not a love triangle). Chapter Titles will be named after song titles, and expect gratuitous use of movie/show/game references (she _is_ American, after all.).

**Reader's Keys:**

**'Hello' =** **English**  
_'Hello" = French  
_'Hello' = Japanese

* * *

**Chapter Three**  
_Freak Like Me_

_Covered in black we lack the social graces,_  
_Just like an animal we crawl out of our cages,_  
_They can't tame us,_  
_So if you're one of us, get on the bus_

* * *

"But I don't know how to dance."

"Then you will learn."

"I don't see you making Rory learn how to dance."

With his boot-clad feet propped on the table and leaning back in his chair, Rory's green eyes gleam with amusement as he raises his hands defensively, "Woah. Don't get me involved in this domestic." Seeing the brown-eyed glare in his direction Rory ticks off a finger, "One, I already know how to dance." He ticks off a second finger, "Two, Tamaki asked me to be in charge of the music production for the dance, so I won't really be doing much dancing."

Rory flashes the annoyed brunette a saucy wink before grabbing the half-eaten cake left on his plate, feeling two people press against both of his sides. Swallowing the piece of cake, he blinks as green-flecked gold eyes peer at him; mischief is thy middle name. One of the twins casually drops an arm over his shoulder, leaning in more closely as he grins at Haruhi.

"Perhaps, Rory wouldn't mind showing us. Give Haruhi a twirl around the room."

"_If_ he can even dance. Those clumpy boots can't be easy to dance in."

Rory glances down at his boots, tilting his head. Humming thoughtfully, Rory swallows the last bite of his cake and pushes up from the chair, "As much as I'd love to stay, I'm afraid I have secondary obligations to attend to."

Pushing the arm off his shoulders, Rory blows Haruhi an exaggerated kiss, "**Goodbye, Haruhi. Good luck on dancing."**

**"I hate you. Very much. You very mean."**

**"Close. Still need a little work on that grammar."**

Winking at his friend, Rory slips out of the room.

Like hell he'd be caught dancing.

_Dancing is for little girls and sissy boys._

"Rory!"

Flinching, Rory looks up to see one of the twins rushing to catch up. Pausing, he faces the red-head, "Yes?"

"You left this in the Music Room."

Looking down at the extended hand, Rory spies his IPod carefully grasped inside it. Surprised, Rory takes it from him and offers the boy a small, but genuine smile, "Thank you...uh...I'm sorry. I can't quite tell the two of you apart yet." Seeing the blank look, Rory shrugs and taps himself on the side of the head, "Another week or so, and I should be able to get it."

"I'm Kaoru."

Remembering the softer-toned voice, Rory raises an eyebrow, "How can I trust you're telling me the truth? I've seen you guys play 'Guess Which One Is Hikaru' game."

"Hikaru is too busy telling Tono how much of an idiot he is."

Rory hums. From what he has so far, Hikaru is a _little_ bit meaner than Kaoru, so that wouldn't surprise him if this was Kaoru. _But_ Hikaru would know how to respond to that question and would be able to respond as though his brother would. Looking at the twin in front of him, Rory tilts his head before nodding curtly.

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. Thank you, Kaoru. I hope you both have a nice evening," Rory replies with a small smile.

Kaoru rubs the back of his head, "No need to thank me. Hikaru and I notice you _always_ have that thing with you. Hey, why are you always running off in a rush?"

"Oh? I've pulled way too many stunts that my father," Rory's eyebrow twitches at having to use that word, "requires me to be home by a certain time."

"Too many stunts?" Kaoru leans forward while grinning, "Is Rory a master prankster?"

Mirroring the boy's grin, Rory nods, "Yeah, but I can't go into detail. If you want, go as Mr. Evil Mastermind to look up my track record."

* * *

"Wow. You have a lovely home, Rory-kun."

Flashing a smile at Sora, Rory fights the urge to tell her this isn't _home_, as he beckons her inside, "Thank you, Sora-chan."

The quaint, single-level house resides on a decent sized property. With four bedrooms, a large open-floor plan common area (living room, dining room and kitchen) and a den area, the house is spacious and open. Rory likes the house, because it really is gorgeous, but most of his stuff is still in boxes.

"Are your parents home?"

Rory snorts, "No. Well, Logan is here, but he's probably roaming the property outside."

"Logan? Is that a sibling?"

"Good God no," Rory remarks, silently thanking whatever Lord exist that he didn't have a sibling.

He'd rather suffer alone than drag another into his life.

Leading Sora to the backyard, Rory instructs Sora to remain on the porch. The firmness of his voice causes the red-head to freeze up. Placing two fingers in his mouth, Rory lets out a piercing whistle. Sora lets out a shriek as a grey-white blur dashes from the nearby trees and barrels straight for Rory. Taking the hit, Rory lets out a bark of laughter as a wet tongue laps at his face.

"Aw...Logan, stop."

Scratching him behind the ears, Rory peers down at the grey-white timber wolf. His handsome coat is slowly shedding the remainder of his puppy-fluff as he had just recently started to grow out of his adolescent stage. Standing to his feet, Rory keeps his gaze firmly locked with Logan.

"Sora," Rory keeps his tone firm, ignoring the small squeak of surprise from the girl, "Come here." Sensing the girl's hesitance, Rory raises a hand and waves her over, "He's not going to hurt you. Just remain calm and approach at a normal, sedated pace."

Once the red-head manages to come to his side, Rory carefully grabs her wrist and hold her hand out. A strangled shriek catches in her throat when a wet nose presses against her palm, soft puffs of hot air tickling her skin.

"If he doesn't recognize someone, he'll think you're a threat," Rory states, keeping his voice calm and collected as he watches Logan nudge her hand, "He's giving you permission to pet him. Stay on his head though and don't go for his snout. He's not completely sure of you yet, but since I'm not showing any fear, he is deeming you non-threatening."

Sora's hand moves tentatively to stroke the wolf's head, her blue eyes widening with amazement, "Wow. He's beautiful. However did you tame him?"

"He's as tame as he's ever going to get. I once had to do community service," Seeing her curious look, he flashes her a sheepish grin, "I put dish soap on some assholes car and then wrapped it in saran wrap. It baked in the sun for hours. There may or may not have been some superficial damage to the car."

Sora giggles at the boy, "So, you did community service?"

Rory nods again, "Yeah. I worked at a Wild Life reserve. One of the females gave birth, but the other pup died and the mother didn't make it. Logan was the runt. I helped nurse him and cared for him the entire time I was there. I would bring him home and care for him. Unfortunately, he wasn't wild enough to be released and a zoo wasn't the best idea for him. I made a deal with the owners and I give them frequent updates and he visits the vet every six months to mark his progress." Rory tilts his head curiously, "It's kind of funny, because the vet told me Logan sees me as his 'Alpha', so taking him away from me would be more damaging than anything else."

"Aren't you afraid he'd leave the property?"

Rory shakes his head, "Wolves stick to their territory. I spent three weeks before the start of school showing him boundary markers. That's a bit of a mess, but I couldn't leave my boy alone." Scratching Logan behind the ear, Rory makes a small noise before giving a jerky hand motion. The signal causes Logan to disappear in the brush once again.

"Wolverine! You named him after an X-Men character!"

Glancing over at Sora, Rory chuckles while bobbing his head, "I told you, I'm a total nerd. Now, I wanted to talk to you about your Vocal Comprehension class. What scale are you more comfortable with?"

"Why?"

Grinning, Rory's eyes twinkle brightly, "Because, Bright-Eyes. I have need of that beautiful voice of yours."

Because if anything is going to bring the girl out of her shell, it will be a crowd full of their peers.

* * *

Rory knows there's some kind of 'Operation-that-is-given-a-terribly-long-name', but he's far too busy setting things up to worry about it. As the guys are busy getting ready for the dance, Rory stands before the raised stage, giving short, quick commands to the set-up crew. Really, the stage hands moved as if their asses were on fire. Rory's pretty sure Kyoya is slightly impressed.

What would one expect from a Military Brat?

Checking his watch, Rory groans when he notices the time, "Alright. You guys have thirty minutes to get in your places. I have to change into my clothes for tonight. If there is a single toe out of line, you will be reacquainted with your instruments..." Rory's stern gaze sharpens, "_Intimately_."

Seeing the various nods, Rory waves at them before sauntering toward the school building. Locating his outfit tonight, Rory glares at the insultingly white outfit and shakes his head. Nope. Opting for a black tail-coat draped over a white waistcoat and black slacks, Rory slips on his piano gloves. Dropping a white fedora onto his head, he allows it to sit cock-eyed on his head before slipping out of the room.

"Why do you refuse to wear the outfits provided!?" Tamaki whines.

Rory tugs at the bold-red neck tie, "Consider yourself lucky I'm wearing a tie. If I wanted to hang myself, I'd rather have my noose made of hemp rope than silk."

Rory's hissed response earns a small snicker from the twins as Tamaki blinks and looks him over. Cooing, Tamaki moves to embrace the dark-haired teen, who ducks and twists out of the way. His back knocks into someone's chest and almost immediately two sets of arms drape over his shoulders, "Aw, seems like Rory doesn't like people throwing themselves at him."

"People? Yes. Idiots? Not so much."

Catching sight of the time, Rory removes the arms off of him, giving the red-haired twins a stern look, "I'm not a leaning post. I have to report to the stage. Good luck on your...thing.." Rory gestures aimlessly before walking off toward the stage.

Checking with the conductor, Rory makes it a point to hand over the selection of music pieces chosen for tonight, "I want it flawless gentlemen. Remember _who_ you are playing for."

Rory takes his place at the piano and as the music begins, his fingers get lost in the melodies.

* * *

Rory smothered his laughter at the sight of Haruhi's inadvertent girl-on-girl kiss. Apparently, the operation went without a hitch (like he'd believe there wasn't some kind of screw up) and that left the Hosts free to dance for the rest of the night. Feeling a slight vibration run through his side, Rory retrieves his cell phone and answers it without looking.

_"We have a problem."_

"What?"

_"She's freaking out! We can't get her to calm down."_

Snapping his phone shut, Rory turns from the crowd and disappears to the back of the stage. Locating the panicking red-head, Rory feels his irritation fade. Cooing at his friend, he drops next to her. Seeing the wide-eyed expression on her face, he nibbles on his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Sora-chan? You don't have to do this."

"B-b-but y-y-you n-nee-eed m-m-eee."

Rubbing both of his hands up and down her upper arms, he makes a dismissive click of his tongue, "Tch. Don't worry about the show, _Cherie_."

"B-but t-the vocals!" she squeaks, her voice cracking.

Looking at his friend, Rory inhales deeply. Nodding his head, he gently cups her cheek, "Sora, do you trust me?" Seeing her nod, he offers her a small, supportive smile, "Then follow me."

* * *

The stage falls dark, causing the dancing teenagers to freeze in surprise. Whispers fill the crowd as teenagers try to figure out what's going on.

"Oh dear me," a sultry feminine voice sounds through the speakers, "It looks like it's time for the _real_ party to begin." A snap of fingers sounds, "Lights, if you please."

A single spot light flicks on, illuminating the single female standing at the forefront of the stage. Cherry-red lips twist into a seductive smile. A bold-red corset top maps out the hourglass curves as tight leather pants stick to the rounded curves of her hips. Cherry-red peep-toe heels gives the sultry woman an additional three inches to her height. Murmurs fill the crowd as she bows fluidly, red spun-curls pooling over her shoulder.

"To end your night, our dear friend, the American Rebel, has dedicated this to all you beautiful people," the woman purrs into the microphone. "Boys. If you please."

The audience doesn't expect the heavy drum beats, nor the angry guitar rifts. Red lips press against the microphone as the woman purrs out, "Adrenalize me."

Giving the come-hither motion with her fingers, the woman's hips begin moving to the sultry beat,

"Come a little bit closer

Before we begin

Let me tell you how I want it

And exactly what I need..." Her voice groans seductively into the microphone.

"I'm here for one drug

I'm only here for one thing

So come on and tell me,

Can you fly like you're free

Cause I need to feel

Yeah, I need to say..." She trails off slightly as she hits the chorus, her hips swaying seductively.

Jumping at the start beat, the vocalist's voice becomes louder,

"I must confess,

I'm addicted to this

Shove your kiss straight through my chest

I can't deny, I'd die without this

Make me feel like a God

Music, love and sex

(Adrenalize me)

I crave excess,

Turning wine into sweat dripping down my neck

I can't deny, I'd die without this

Make me feel like a God

Adrenaline and sex!" Each of the Hosts find their eyes turn from the stage as the woman saunters across the stage, her movements precise.

"Get a little bit higher,

So we can fall 'til we bleed

Push a little bit harder

Pull me into the speed

So tell me, can you feel this

Come into my dream

Are you ready to awaken?

Are you ready to feed?

Cause I need to feel,

Yeah, I need to say

I must confess,

I'm addicted to this

Shove your kiss straight through my chest

I can't deny, I'd die without this

Make me feel like a God

Music, love and sex

(Adrenalize me)

I crave excess,

Turning wine into sweat dripping down my neck

I can't deny, I'd die without this

Make me feel like a God

Adrenaline and sex

We have to live before we die

We were born to live before we die

Don't you wanna live before you die?

Let me see you live before you die

Right here, right now,  
Adrenalize me  
Right here, right now,  
Adrenalize me.

Right here, right now

I'm addicted to this

I must confess,

I'm addicted to this

Shove your kiss straight through my chest

I can't deny, I'd die without this

Make me feel like a God

Music, love and sex

(Adrenalize me)

I crave excess,

Turning wine into sweat dripping down my neck

I can't deny, I'd die without this

Make me feel like a God

Adrenaline and sex..."

As the song comes to a final end, a silence falls over the crowd. Staring at the woman on stage, a pair of lavender eyes widen when the woman giggles, "Too much for you? Don't tell me none of you are interested in a...little _more_."

Her voice seems to snap the crowd to attention as some cheers sound. Giggling once more, the woman bows her head, "Thank you. Your dearest Rebel mentioned a possible culture shock, so I promise the following songs are much more manageable. Now, I want to see each and every one of you moving. Whether your jumping in place or moving to the beat, even if your tone-deaf, I want to see movement people! Now, here's a song that might be a bit more your speed."

As the opening to Queen's 'Somebody to Love' begins, the Hosts watch in amazement as the female vocalist moves across the stage, smiling and making gestures at the dancing teens. As more people witness the vocalist's antics, as she bounces around on stage as some songs like 'Dance, Dance' by Fall Out Boy are played, more and more of the students begin to join in the crazy festivities.

* * *

Leaning against the gated entrance of the school grounds, Rory grins at the red-head standing next to him, "That was a beautiful performance, _Cherie_."

Seeing the flushed cheeks of his companion, Rory is surprised when the petite girl throws herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. A pair of soft lips press against his cheek and he blinks in surprise as Sora pulls away from the embrace.

"You're a good friend, Rory."

Tilting his head, Rory smiles softly, "Anything for a beautiful girl."

"Rory!"

Seeing the tall blonde-haired idiot, Rory's gaze flicks back to Sora, who flashes him an understanding smile, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rory."

As the blonde takes her place, Rory's gaze turns back to the night sky, "Did you enjoy the performance?"

"That wasn't a part of our agreement."

Rory snickers, "I know, but did you see Kyoya's face? That was classic!" Rory's fingers comb through his bangs, "Look, you guys seem to forget I'm American. Exposing people to my brand of awesomeness is going to be a bit of a culture-shock. Did you see your crowd? Tamaki," Rory's gaze meets his own, "Those stuffy, self-important teens managed to feel like real, everyday common teenagers. For one simple moment, they were free of restraint. _That_ is what rebellion is all about."

Tamaki doesn't say anything so Rory pushes away from the gate and flashes him a smile, "Good night, Tama-chan."

Rory barely makes it a foot away before a hand catches his own, "You have a beautiful voice, Aurora."

Nothing is said. As Rory jerks his hand away, the dark-haired teen gives a wave of acknowledgment over his shoulder as he walks off.

* * *

The rest of the week was rather dull compared to the dance. Rory, dressed in a pair of simple jeans and a the image of duct tape strapped to the front, words reading 'Silence is Golden, but Duct Tape is Silver." With bare feet, Rory moves from his bedroom to the dining room area. Seeing the large, intimidating man seated at the table, Rory wordlessly sits across from him.

"I was notified about a dance that happened earlier this week."

"Yes, Sir."

"Did you have a date?"

"No, Sir. Dating is a waste of time that can be dedicated to studying."

The man doesn't seem bothered by the monotone response, "Good. Did you attend?"

"Yes, Sir. I was in charge of arranging the musical number for the orchestra performance."

"That music is a waste of time."

"It provides a well-rounded study for future college applications."

As usual, Rory's gaze never leaves the eyes of the man across from him.

_One must always face their adversary._

The rest of the meal continues in silence._ He_ never had anything to say and Rory never attempt to start a meaningless conversation. As dinner comes to an end, the man leaves and as the tension fades with him, Rory's gaze finally drops to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**To a Different Drum**

**Summary:**

A military brat, through and through, the 'American Rebel' is used to rolling with the punches. Some hits just land harder than others.

**Author's Note:**

Aurora, or Rory, is an original female character. Unlike Haruhi, who is a female-pretending-to-be-a-male, Rory has been forced to be the 'son-her-father-never-had'. Rory suffers from gender-confusion and identity-issues. In order to make it easy to follow the switch of genders, Rory will have the pronoun 'he' and Aurora will be 'she'. I want to explore the mind-set of someone going through these problems. This story will most-likely end up a Hikaru/Rory/Kaoru trio-romance (not a love triangle). Chapter Titles will be named after song titles, and expect gratuitous use of movie/show/game references (she _is_ American, after all.).

**Reader's Keys:**

**'Hello' =** **English**  
_'Hello" = French  
_'Hello' = Japanese

* * *

**Chapter Four**  
_"If You Want Blood (You Got It)"_

_Blood on the streets  
_

_Blood on the rocks_

_Blood in the gutter_

_Every last drop_

* * *

"Kaoru?" At the sound of his name, the red-haired teen raises his gaze from the sketch he had been working on to come face-to-face with one identical to his own. "What are you doing?"

Glancing back to the various styles drawn across a few pages, Kaoru shrugs a shoulder, "I figured we could work on some outfits for Rory-san. Tamaki keeps complaining about Rory-san not dressing in the clothes we pick out, so I figured if we made some that leans more toward his tastes, he'd be more willing to...join in the fun."

"Why do you even care?" Hikaru asks, not entirely unkindly. "He barely talks to anyone aside from Haruhi and that blonde idiot. I don't even know why he made that kid a Host. He barely talks to any girls."

Kaoru nods, "True, but...we weren't the nicest people when Tamaki asked us to join his club. Tamaki obviously sees something in the kid."

Whatever Hikaru is about to say is cut off by a familiar laugh. Both twins look up to see a laughing Haruhi entering the classroom, Rory following the cross-dressing brunette at a more sedated pace. The dark-haired teen had forgone his usual blazer jacket and opted for a long-sleeved white thermal worn underneath a bold, sunset-orange military-styled vest. His dark-purple skinny jeans were decorated with a collection of silver chains that cling musically as they brush against each other with each step. One of Rory's hands is shoved into one the front pockets of his jeans, the other currently releasing the door he had held open for Haruhi. Kaoru had realized the entire time, Rory had never treated Haruhi like a boy, even before the Hosts figured it out.

Waving Haruhi off, Rory drops into his chair and his forehead immediately rests on the desk. Curious, Kaoru asks after the boy's state of being earning a small giggle from Haruhi.

"He apparently ran out of coffee. Something about a late night," she states, shrugging, "The poor guy tripped up the front steps this morning and dropped the coffee he had bought on the way here. He said it was a sign from the Gods that his day was going to be horrible."

Glancing back over at the teen, Kaoru raises an eyebrow as a petite, slightly-familiar blonde takes a seat next to him. Rory raises his head and glares at the girl, though it seems to not have any affect as the blonde giggles at his expense. Dropping his gaze back to the sketches, Kaoru tilts his head. Rory had a fascination with clashing bold, bright colors with dark undertones and often wore multiple layers. He also seemed to have a taste for contrasting colors and making them work with his outfit. As inspiration hits the red-head, Kaoru grins.

He always did enjoy a challenge.

* * *

"Hungover from last night, Rory-kun?"

Blinking tiredly, Rory lifts his forehead off the desk and glares at the petite blonde standing next to his desk, "Ugh, how are you so damn perky this morning? You drank as much as I did."

Akino Rei shrugs her shoulders, giggling at the expression on his face, "I drank a lot of water before going to bed this morning. Anyway, I never did thank you for taking me out last night. It...was nice to get my mind off of _him_."

Rory's glare fades into a soft, gentle smile; though the weariness in his gaze only makes him look like a child, "It was my pleasure, Rei-chan. I told you, going out and spending a night on the town is the best way to get over an asshole."

Rei nods her head in agreement, "You Americans are very funny in that manner. Do you speak from experience?"

Rory snorts, "I don't have relationships, Sugar. I freelance my services," His wink earns another giggle, before he shrugs, "No. There are times where I just...needed to escape for awhile and going somewhere where the music plays to loud to hear myself think and a stranger is willing to dance is a great way to do it."

Rei smiles softly and pats his hand, "Thank you, Rory-kun. You're a good friend."

"That's the second time someone's told me that," At the quirked eyebrow, Rory grins, "Sora-chan was too scared to actually sing so I...may have slipped a recording into the sound system and turned off her microphone. The girl is a natural at performing, but I still need to break her out of that stage fright."

Rei giggles once again, tucking a blonde curl behind her head, "Well, I'm sure being friends with you is bound to break her out of her shell. Mizu-chan and I have tried, but she would never budge."

A flirtatious grin fits onto his face as he nods, "Perhaps she just needs the _right touch_."

"Oh, you are so bad!"

"I know!"

As the two share in their amusement the teacher enters the room and one glance between the two pulls their conversation to a close.

* * *

"Hey! Wait up!"

Kaoru catches the wrist of the petite blonde who turns her gaze on him, "Oh...um...is there something you need?"

"You're friends with Rory-san, yes?" The blonde nods so Kaoru falls in line with her as they walk to the refractory, "I wanted to ask your opinion. Tamaki-senpai made him a Host, but he doesn't really do much..._Hosting_."

"Rory-kun is a great guy," the blonde states, a fierce expression fitting to her face, "He genuinely cares about people. He mentioned the customers only seeing him for his 'image', but Rory is never comfortable with talking about himself." The blonde sees his raised eyebrow and shrugs a shoulder, "He always changes the subject when it revolves around himself. Maybe you should think about helping him feel more...comfortable. He's an easy flirt, but forcing him to do it takes away from his charm."

Kaoru blinks at the insight, nodding his head, "Huh. That makes sen-"

Kaoru is cut off when a large hand grips his shoulder and whirls him around, a tall, muscular ebony-haired guy glaring at him, "What the hell is this, Rei-chan? I thought I told you to stop hanging out with those privileged losers."

Rei glares at the boy, "Leave him alone. He was walking me to lunch and simply wanted to talk. Besides, we _broke up, _remember?"

The guy shoves Rei off of him and grabs Kaoru by the front of his collar, causing the red-head to mourn for the wrinkles in his expensive jacket, "You think you can just charm the pants off of any girl, don't you? You think the rest of us like hearing our girlfriend go on-and-on about that stupid club of yours."

"Maybe if you did your job as a boyfriend, they wouldn't come running to us for attention," Kaoru retorts out of habit, gasping when his air supply is slowly cut off by the restricting collar..

Kaoru wasn't a fighter. He joked and played pranks and teased, but physical fighting had never been his thing. So when the large teen's fist raises in the air, Kaoru jerks back and closes his eyes in anticipation. He doesn't expect a different hand to fall on his shoulder and yank him backwards. Stumbling, he lands on the floor and looks up just in time to see a familiar dark-haired Rebel taking the hit meant for him.

"Rory!" Rei's voice shrieks in surprise as the dark-haired teen stumbles back, his head whipped to the side.

Kaoru swallows thickly as the boy's posture straightens. A line of crimson coats the kid's lip, to which he wipes at it with the back of his knuckle. Sharp, darkened-green eyes flicks from the blood on his knuckle to the abuser.

"I really hope you pulled your punch. Because I know a seven-year-old girl that can hit harder than that."

The insult leaves Rory's lips flawlessly, "Stay out of this, freak."

"I would have been more than glad to, but you're taking your anger out on the wrong person," The grin on Rory's face shows far too many teeth for Kaoru to be comfortable with, "In fact, I should thank your dominate-male tendencies, because I would have never had the chance I had with Rei-chan last night."

Kaoru's eyes widen at the insinuation and the angry red flush that spreads on the other boy's face, "What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

"Well, Rei-chan was _so_ upset that I decided to cheer her up with a night on the town. Having her put me to bed was the highlight of our night."

The angered teen lashes out. Rory ducks under the blow, his arm hooking with the extended arm above his head. Moving behind the larger teen, Rory keeps a grip on the extended arm as his boot-clad foot connects solidly with the back of the kid's knee. Brought down to his knees, Rory pulls the arm in an odd hold. Seeing the pained look, Kaoru figures the position his arm is in isn't comfortable.

"I'm going to give you a chance to apologize for harassing an innocent bystander and being a general douche bag. One," At the stubborn silence, Rory places more pressure on the arm lock, causing the teen to wince again.

"Two.."

"Fuck you, reject."

Kaoru watches as Rory's glare darkens, "As you wish."

A sickening pop sounds as Rory pushes the arm beyond its limits. A howl of pain follows and as the pained teen lashes out wildly, catching Rory in the gut with an elbow, the shorter dark-haired teen cocks back his arm and slams a fist into the kid's temple.

"I don't hear an apology."

Kaoru's eyes widen at the sight of a switchblade appearing in Rory's hand. The injured teen's eyes widen with fear, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Rory shoves the boy away from him, "If I catch you near Rei-chan again, you will wish for today. Now beat it!" The sharp bark of orders is heeded as the other teen rushes to put distance between them.

A click sounds as Rory closes the switchblade and returns it to one of his several pockets. Kaoru can't help the lump in his throat as dark eyes turn on him, his body tensing when Rory takes a step toward him. The gleam in the boy's eyes flickers upon seeing Kaoru's tension and he freezes instantly.

Neither of the boys expect Hikaru's fist to crash into the side of Rory's face, "Get away from my brother."

Kaoru opens his mouth to assist Rory, who licks at his once-again red lips, the dark gleam back in his gaze. Giving Hikaru a mocking bow, Rory drawls a sarcastic, "As you wish."

"Wait!" Kaoru chokes out.

He doesn't. Rory stalks off with a worried blonde racing after him. Kaoru figures he'd get a chance to apologize later before Hosting start.

But Rory never shows up to Host.

Or the day following.

Kaoru forgets about the boy when it comes to everyone's attention that physical examinations will expose Haruhi's real gender.

* * *

_"I wasn't aware that today was a day for your visit, Sir."_

_"I got a call from school. You want to explain it to me?"_

_"The asshole hit me first."_

_"And you getting home at midnight?"_

_"I was out of coffee."_

_Crack! "Don't sass me."_

_"Of course not, Sir."_

_Crack! "Show a little more respect to your superiors."_

_"When I find one, I'll let you know."_

* * *

He really needed to watch his mouth.

Wincing as he rolls out of bed, Rory places a tentative hand to his side. Throwing on a black hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, Rory slips out of the silent, empty house and into the backyard. Carefully lowering himself to the grass, he lays back and stares at the cloudy skies. Feeling a familiar warmth at his side and a whine, Rory carefully curls up against Logan.

"You'll always love me, right boy?" Closing his eyes, Rory's lips twitch as a tongue laps at the corner of his eye, "Yeah. I love you too, Bub."

* * *

"What's with all the books, Haruhi?" Hikaru asks as he watches the brunette hoist a bag nearly bursting at the seam.

"Rory-san hasn't been in school," she deadpans, "Rei-san and I are going to his house to see if he's alright."

"Why should we care?"

"Seeing as though he was suspended for defending your brother?" Hikaru's eyes widen in surprise, "I figured you'd be a bit nicer about it. Apparently, that's too much to ask of you."

No. Rory had been standing over Kaoru with murder in his eyes. Glancing over at his brother, he blinks at the gleam of guilt in Kaoru's eyes.

* * *

Groaning at the doorbell ringing, Rory answers the door dressed in a long-sleeved thermal and a pair of red-and-black flannel lounge pants. Looking up into gold eyes, Rory curses when those eyes widen.

"You're a girl!"

"What do you want Hikaru?"

"Why do y- wait? How do you know I'm Hikaru?"

"Because you're setting off my asshole-meter."

Hikaru winces, but shakes away his guilt, "Why are you lying to everyone?"

"I never lie."

"Everyone thinks you're a guy."

Rory's usually light-green eyes darken and upon taking a closer look at his face, Hikaru notices the light yellow tinge along the apple of his cheek and the darkened bruise along his eyebrow where his piercing usually sat, "What happened to your face?"

"There was this fight a few days ago..."

Ignoring the mocking tone, Hikaru steps forward, shaking his head, eyes uncharacteristically stern, "No. I remember that day. Your piercing was still there. This," Hikaru's thumb brushes against the broken skin, "was ripped out."

A firm hand presses against his chest and he is pushed backwards, "I don't recall giving you permission to touch me. Now leave."

"Wait. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to your face."

"I fell down the stairs."

The door slams shut in his face.

Hikaru huffs with annoyance and walks back to the car waiting for him. Dropping into the back seat, Hikaru spares the house a second glance.

_Single-level houses don't have stairs._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Every five chapters, I give a special dedication to my reviewers/followers.**

**Bellz: Aww...I adored your review. I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**To all of my followers: , Anlovi, ArcticIllustrator, Bellzanaph, Flutejrp, K.C.96, MISCharacter, Paridiselost**

**Thank you. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I won't ever go into graphic detail of domestic abuse because it is a sensitive topic. I would like to hear what you all think about the story and what you think should be improved upon. I really, really, don't want to retype the entire show, so there will be references of episodes in each chapter, but this is more about the in-between moments.**


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